Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is making it clear that Georgia’s new tort reform proposal is about protecting consumers, not big corporations. Jones knows the legislation’s true intent: easing the burden on everyday Georgians who are feeling the effects of rising insurance costs and lawsuit abuse.

“And we’ve gotten out of balance here in the state of Georgia, where you’ve got too many fraudulent claims, you’ve got too many of these, what they call phantom awards that are going on, and we just got to rein that back in because, like I said, this is not a pro insurance company bill, it’s not an anti-trial lawyer bill, it is a Georgia consumer bill because the cost of trying to get insurance right now is becoming very, very, very stressful for the business community,” said Lt. [Gov.] Jones.

Drawing from his own experience as a business owner, Jones says that the reforms are necessary to relieve the pressure on the business community, which often passes these increased costs onto consumers. His stance is rooted in a deep understanding of the financial strain that lawsuit abuse has placed on Georgia’s economy—and ultimately on the people who live there.

“As a business owner, I know exactly what you know our business community is going through right now. We’ve experienced it firsthand, and there’s a lot of factors into it, and that’s the number one thing people have to understand when you say torts, well, it’s a pretty broad spectrum of what’s out there.” 

For Lt. Gov. Jones, the focus is clear: it’s not about corporate interests, but about protecting Georgia’s citizens from an out-of-control system that hurts them. This legislation is about bringing balance back to Georgia’s legal and economic environment, and ultimately, improving the lives of everyday people across the state.